Habagat, not typhoon, causing rains in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - About a thousand passengers were affected yesterday by the cancellation of trips of small vessels due to the gale warning signal issued by the weather bureau.

The Philippine Coast Guard did not allow at least 23 small sea vessels below 250-gross tonnage to sail out yesterday, disrupting the travel plans of 990 passengers in Cebu, Bohol, Ormoc, Samar, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental. Larger sea vessels, on the other hand, were warned against the big waves.

 The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issued the gale warning over the Visayas because sea waves could reach up to four meters high.

In its gale warning No. 4m PAGASA said the Visayas seaboard was experiencing a wind force of up to 63 kilometers per hour or 34 knots.  The “rough to very rough” sea condition was attributed to the southwest monsoon and the typhoon Hanna.

“Strong pa ang habagat. Gale warning possibly still in effect in Central Visayas until Saturday,” said PAGASA Visayas Director Oscar Tabada.

Grounded vessels were MV Starcraft 3, Cebu-Tubigon; MV St. Emmanuel, Cebu-Tagbilaran; MV Island Express V, MV Super Shuttle Ferry 24, MV Super Shuttle Ferry 23, Port of Hagnaya to Sta. Fe Bantayan; MV Lite Ferry 7 and MV Aznar 2, Toledo-San Carlos Negros Occidental; MV Lite Ferry 3, Toledo-Escalante;

MV Fiji II, Cebu-Bato, Leyte; MV Rosalia 3, Cebu-Baybay Leyte; MV VG Roro II, Cebu-Talibon; MV Mika Mari VI, Camotes-Danao; MV Mika Mari V, Camotes-Ormoc; MV Leonor 5, Tangil-Guihulngan Negros Oriental; MV Melviric III, Tabuelan-Danao-Port of Escalante; MV Duene 2, Naga-Cebu-Leyte; MV Super Island Express II, Tangil-Dumanjug-Cebu-Guihulngan.

Motorbancas and fastcrafts were also not allowed to venture into the sea, including MBCA Junmar 2, MBCA Junmar 3, Ocean Jet, and Supercat, LCT Island III.

PAGASA Mactan Chief Meteorologist Al Quiblat, said Cebu is safe from the direct effects of typhoon Hanna, but not from the enhanced Southwest Monsoon or habagat.

“Central Visayas will continue to experience cloudy, light to moderate rains and winds until Saturday,” he said.

Allen Froilan Cabaron II, Office of the Civil Defense-regional technical support division chief, said the monsoon rains may trigger flashfloods and landslides.

“Residents living in coastal areas are advised to take measures for possible big waves generated by strong winds and high tides that would still last until Saturday,” he added.

Meanwhile, Police Regional Office-7 Director Prudencio Tom Bañas sent last Wednesday a memorandum to all city and province police directors of Central Visayas for them to initiate preemptive measures and prepare for possible damage that the typhoon may bring to the region.

Senior Superintendent Rey Lyndon Lawas, Regional Directorial Staff chief, said that with the directive, all police stations should coordinate with the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to prepare for and avoid damage especially to coastal and mountainous areas, which are prone to flooding and landslides, in their areas of responsibility.

He said that while PRO-7 is not yet on a high alert status, all police chiefs in the region have the prerogative to raise their level of alert based on their assessment.

As of yesterday’s forecast, the eye of typhoon Hanna was located at 995 kilometer east of Basco, Batanes, with maximum sustained winds of 175 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 210 kph. PAGASA forecast  it to move west-northwest at 20 kph.

Quiblat said weather conditions in the region will improve starting Sunday, when Hanna exits the Philippine Area of Responsibility.  (FREEMAN)